Sheila's Luncheon 04 September 2008

This is Sheila and she cooked us a wonderful lunch!



Her decorations were so pretty



Linda you were missed!

Sheila's Luncheon 04 September 2008

SHEILA'S CHICKEN POT PIES

ENRICHED CHICKEN BROTH

Makes 3 ½ cups

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup carrot diced

1 cup celery, diced

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ pound bone-in chicken breast or

thighs, seasoned with salt and pepper

4 cups chicken broth

Sauté vegetables in oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until onion and carrot begin to brown, 10 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and set aside. Add the chicken and brown on both sides, 8 minutes, and then stir in broth and reserved vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside; strain and reserve broth, discarding vegetables.

Hints…To bring out the sweetness of the vegetables… caramelize them well, stirring occasionally.

Simmer sautéed vegetables and chicken in purchased broth. You’ll use the chicken later to make the pot pies.

POT PIE

For the crust

Melt and then chill

2 sticks unsalted butter (1cup)

Whisk together; cut in; stir in;

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon table salt

¾ to 1 cup ice water.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium- low heat. Cook until brown flecks appear, about 15 minutes, then transfer to a shallow dish and freeze until firm, 20-30 minutes.

Whisk flour and salt together in a bowl. Cut in chilled brown butter until pea-sized using a pastry blender. Stir in ¾ cup ice water, and then test by pinching dough between your fingers. If it seems dry add remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough is no longer crumbly. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

Handy Hints from Sheila

Crust

Brown and chill the butter a day ahead. This way, there will be no down time while making the crust.

To keep the biscuit topping light and airy mix just until combined.

Or just use your favorite crust recipe what ever works best for you.

Or buy pie crust already made…hey that is the easy way out.

Filling

Make and chill the chicken filling up to 1 day ahead of time use rotisserie or leftover chicken in filling if desired.

FILLING

Sweat in ½ stick unsalted butter:

2 cups carrot, sliced ¼ inch thick

2 cups parsnip, diced

2 cups button mushrooms, quartered

1 cup frozen pearl onions

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

Stir in; Deglaze with:

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Add and Simmer; Stir in:

3 cups enriched chicken broth,

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

2 cups red potatoes, cubed

1 cup frozen peas

Salt and pepper to taste

Brush with:

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk

Preheat over to 425 degrees; line a baking sheet with foil.

Sweat carrot, parsnip, mushrooms, onions, and herbs in butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat, covered, 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir flour into vegetables to coat; cook 1 minute. Deglaze with wine and lemon juice, scraping bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add broth, stirring until mixture is smooth, and then stir in chicken and potatoes. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, 10-15 minutes. Off heat, stir in peas, salt, and pepper; transfer filling to baking dish. Roll out prepared dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thick, and then cut to fit the baking dish, Arrange dough on filling trim and crimp edges, transfer pot pie to prepared baking sheet. Brush dough with egg wash and bake pie until crust is golden 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving to set up.

Sheila’s Handy Hints

Add flour to vegetables, stirring until pasty. The flour will thicken the filling during cooking.

Gradually add broth to vegetable mixture. If added too quickly, the sauce may develop lumps.

Don’t thaw peas before adding them to the filling, or they will turn mushy in the oven.

Sheila's Luncheon 04 September 2008

This is HOT!

Sheila's Luncheon 04 September 2008

Hey we are full and HAPPY

Sheila's Luncheon 04 September 2008

Sheila's Luncheon 04 September 2008

Bread crumbs she made for the salad and the soup

Now I was sooo busy eating the soup that I forgot
to take a picture of the soup. It was golden color
and the flavor was excellent.


SHEILA’S GOLDEN GASPACHO

1 slice coarse with bread

3 pounds yellow tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper seeded, de-ribbed and chopped

1 red Spanish onion, coarsely chopped

1 large English cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 ¼ cups tomato juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the Garnish

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

6 slices coarse white bread, crust removed, cut into small cubes

salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup diced green bell pepper

¼ cup peeled, seeded and diced cucumber

¼ cup diced red onion

1 ½ cups red cherry tomatoes, quartered

Remove the crust from the bread slice and place in a shallow bowl with water to cover. Let stand until the bread is fully soaked, then remove and squeeze dry. In a bowl, combine the soaked bread, yellow tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, cucumber, vinegar, garlic, tomato juice and olive oil. Stir well. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and process on high speed until very smooth, about 3 minutes for each batch. Strain through a coarse-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Cover and chill for 1 hours.

To prepare the garnish, in a frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic and discard. Add the bread cubes, and stir to coat with the butter and oil. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10-12 minutes. Remove the croutons from the heat and let cool.

Before serving, season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into chilled individual bowls and garnish each serving with bell pepper, cucumber, onion, cherry tomatoes and croutons. Serve well chilled. Serves 6

MINI CHEDDAR SCONES

2 ¾ cups all –purpose flour

2 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

10 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold, cubed

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup minced fresh chives

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoon water

1 egg blended with 1 tablespoon water.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees; line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork until pea-sized.

Stir in Cheddar and chives, then add buttermilk and 2 tablespoon water, knead gently just until blended. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into an 8 inch square. Cut into 2 inch squares, and then cut squares into triangles. Arrange scones on baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush tops with egg-water mixture and bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

Sheila's Luncheon 04 September 2008

GREEN SALAD WITH CUCUMBERS, WALNUTS

AND MUSTARD-SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE

9 cups mixed torn salad greens

2 cucumbers, peeled seeded and diced (about 4 cups)

1 ½ cups toasted walnuts

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (optional)

FOR THE MUSTARD-SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ cup mild olive oil

¼ cup minced shallots

Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large salad bowl, combine the salad greens, cucumbers, walnuts and the dill, if using.

To make the vinaigrette: in a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and vinegar. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until the mixture emulsifies. Stir in the shallots and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, toss well and serve at once.

Sheila would not share this family recipe from
her Italian heritage, it is focaccia with green and black
olives & red bell pepper and onions we are sad that she won't share
her secret recipe. It was so good right out of the oven.

Sheila's Luncheon 04 September 2008

Berry Patch Ice Cream Dessert

1 19.5 ounce package fudge brownie mix

1 quart vanilla ice cream (I use almost ½ gallon)

2 ½ cup berries (any kind)

¼ cup chocolate topping or raspberry syrup

Lightly grease two round baking pans, line bottom of each with waxed paper. Grease the waxed paper, set pans aside. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, divide batter and spread into prepared pans.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen edges, invert and carefully remove brownie from pan. Peel off waxed paper. Cool completely. Wrap each of the brownies in plastic wrap. Freeze one for future use. Store one at room temperature overnight while berry-ice cream is being frozen.

Line a round pan with plastic wrap, allowing excess to extend over edges; set aside. In a large mixing bowl stir ice cream just to soften. Fold in 1 cup berries. Spread berry-ice cream mixture evenly in prepared pan. Cover and freeze for 4 to 24 hours.

To serve, place one brownie round on serving plate. Lift ice cream and plastic wrap from pan. Invert ice cream layer onto brownie, peel off plastic wrap. Top with the remaining berries. Serve with chocolate topping or raspberry syrup. Let dessert stand for 15 minutes before serving to soften slightly. That way it will cut easier. This serves 10.